County supervisor rounds out local issues

SOUTH COUNTY  County Supervisor Greg Cox updated citizens on transportation, public safety, health and social services and other topics during his annual state of Bonita address July 31 at the Bonita-Sunnyside Library.

Cox discussed Assembly Bill 109, also known as public safety realignment, implemented in October 2011 due to state prison overcrowding. The legislation released and distributed about 40,000 low level criminals to 58 counties.

“I don’t think there is any county in California that was totally prepared for that shift,” Cox said. “But we were able to accommodate a lot of those prisoners and it has forced us to be as creative as we can.”

Cox said that current recidivism rate in the state is about 70 percent.

“San Diego County in our own jail system is about 35 to 40 percent so we know we’ll have a better chance of hopefully turning people around,” he said.

Cox also discussed President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

“Whether you like it or not, it’s coming and it will go into effect Jan. 1,” Cox said. “If it works right it should provide more health care coverage to more people and it’s all predicated on the federal poverty level.”

As far as general services, Cox reminded the community about the importance of 211, a directory service number.

“It’s kind of your one-stop shop,” he said. “It was really set up for people who need help but don’t know what kind of help they need.”

The number should be used for emergency updates such as natural disasters, prescription drug cards, health and social services, reporting graffiti, road closures and family assistance.

Cox also talked about transportation improvements in the county, including the South Bay Expressway, a toll road portion of state Route 125 that opened in 2007 and was purchased by the San Diego Association of Governments in December 2011. Tolls have ben cut, and usage has increased.

“We are getting more people to use SR-125, which means there’s less traffic that’s being diverted into this community and other east/west streets in Chula Vista,” Cox said.

National City Councilman Luis Natividad said he attended the meeting to support Cox.

“He’s been really good to us in National City,” Natividad said. “I also like hearing about all the things that are going on in Bonita because it shows me the work that they do to enhance community in the area. Anything that enhances the area enhances all of us.”